Fourth to luther a



3 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

. 'Q NN -w Y 4 Q M um 3 ww .hi Kw1 w0/ No. 627,097. Patented lune 20, |899. V. E. CAMPBELL.

AUTDMATICGAS CUT-OFF.

(App'ucation med Jan. s1, 189s.)

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

me Ncnms pms ou. moro-uma.. msnmmon n c No. 627,097. Patented June 20, |899.

V. E. CAMPBELL.

AUTOMATIC GAS CUT-OFF (Application fued Jan. a1, 189s.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 31.

(No Model.)

, llniinn Sintes' Paint-nvr OFFICE.

VICTOR E. CAMPBELL, OF VINNEMUCOA, NEVADA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- FOURTH TO LUTHER A. BUOKNER, OF SAME PLACE.

AUTOMATIC GAS CUT-OFF.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 627,097, dated J' une 20, 1899.

Application filed January 3l, 1898. Serial No. 663,515. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may con/cern:

Be it known that l, VICTOR E. CAMPBELL, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Winnemucca, in the county of Humboldt and State of Nevada, have invented a new and useful Automatic Gas Cut-Off, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to automatic gas cutoffs, and has for its object to provide a simple, efficient, and durable construction and combination of parts whereby gas is autoinatically cut oft after the light has been eX- tinguished to avoid the dangers of asphyxiation and other accidents due to an accumulation ot gas in an apartment, the construction of the thermostat being such as to insure its durability by protecting it from the direct action of the gas-flame, and thus enabling me to use a tempered medium for actuating the permanent locking devices.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple and improved temporary locking device automatically controlled and having a limited period of operativeness at each adjustment for maintaining the gas-cock in its open position during the lighting of the gas and the raising of the temperature of the thermostat to actuate the permanent locking devices, the time limit being variable by the adjustment of means provided for that purpose'.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in the following description,and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side View of a cut-off mechanism, constructed in accordance with my invention, applied in the operative position to a gas jet or fixture. Fig. 2 is a similar View showing the casing of the operating mechanism in section. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the casing, showing the operating mechanism in plan. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the movable dial and auxiliary locking-arm in their normal positions. Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view of the movable and fixed disks and the cooperating parts. Fig. 6 is a detail View in perspective of the fixed disk. Fig. 7 is a similar view of the movable disk. Fig. 8 is a detail view of the thermostat, plunger, and main locking-ann pipe after the removal of the usual burner 4,

which is then mounted in the end of the gooseneck-pipe, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Each arm of the gooseneck or return pipe is provided with a gas-cock, of which one, 5, in

the lower arm of the gooseneck constitutes a regulating-cock, while'the one, 6, in the other or upper arm of the gooseneck constitutes a cut-olf cock.

Loosely mounted upon the spindle of the cut-off gas-cock G is a movable disk 7, adapti ed to traverse a fixed disk 8, which may be supported in any suitable manner .by the bracket constituting the above described gooseneck, and attachedto said spindle of the cut-off gas-cock is a return-spring 9, which when the gas-cock is released is adapted to turn the latter to its closed position, and thus constitutes a yielding gas-cock turning or closing device. The movable disk is operatively connected with a train of gears of the speed-multiplyingtype, in connection with which is arranged a speed regulator or governor consisting, in the construction illustrated, of a rotary fau 10, having blades 11, which are revolubl-yadjustable in the hub 12 to vary the deflection of the planes thereof,and thus vary the resistance offered by the blades during the rotation of the fan. In the construction illustrated the train of gears consists of a plurality of intermediate spur-wheels 13 14, of which the lat-ter meshes with a pinion 15 on the spindle of the fan, and pinions 1G and 17, arranged on the spindles of the gears 13 and 14, respectively, the pinion l() meshing with the peripheral teeth of the disk 7, while the pinion 17 meshes with t-he gear-Wheel 13. A

ratchet mechanism, however, is preferably interposed between the pinion 16 and the IOO gear 13 to allow the free backward rotation of the pinion 16 during the movement of the movable diskin the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, while the movement of said disk in the opposite direction is communicated, through the pinion 16 and ratchet mechanism, to the gear 13, and hence to the remaining members of the train of gearing, including the fan 10.l In the construction illustrated this ratchet mechanism consists of a pawl 18, meshing with a ratchet-wheel 19, the former being carried by the gear 13, while the latter is xed to the spindle of the pinion 16 and is adapted to rotate baekwardly with said pinion when the disk 7 is moved in the direction of said arrow, the gear 13 being loose on said spindle.

The disk 7 is adapted to receive motion in the direction of the arrow, or, as it may be termed, forward motion, by means of a locking-arm 20, (hereinafter termed an auxiliary locking-arm,) which is fixed to the spindle of the cut-ofi gas-cock 6 to traverse the face of said movable disk, the latter being provided with a yielding pawl 21, having an abrupt shoulder 22, in rear of which said arm is adapted to be located when the disk and arm arein their normal positions. (Illustrated in Fig. 4.) Hence when the gas-cock spindle is turned in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2 motion is communicated from the auxiliary locking-arm 2O to the movable disk through the engagement of the former with the pawl 21 of the latter, and this engagement continues until, when the gas-cock reaches its fully-open position, the pawl 21 passes under a trip 23, consisting of a spring which is attached to the tixed disk S and projects backwardly through a slot 24 in the movable disk, as shown clearly in Fig. 5. The free end of this trip-spring by engaging a rounded or cam face 25 on the outer side of the pawl 21 depresses the free end of the latter into the slot 24, and thus disengages its shoulder 22 from the auxiliary lockingarm 20; but before this disengagement of the pawl on the movable disk from the auxiliary locking-arm said arm has moved into engagement with a iixed locking-pawl 26, also having an abrupt shoulder 27, said iixed paWl being mounted upon the fixed disk 3 and projecting outwardly beyond the surface ot the movable disk through a slot 2S in the latter. Assuming, therefore, that it is desired to turn on the gas to allow a flow at the burner-tip, the cut-off gas-cock is turned in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, thus communieating motion in the same direction to the movable disk 7 and rotating the pinion 16, which winds an actuating-spring 29, connected at one end to the spindle of said pinion and at the other end to a iixed object, such as a casing 30, inclosing the mechanism. Obviously this winding of the spring is accomplished without affecting the positions of the gears 13 and 14 and the fan 10. When the auxiliary locking-arm 2O reaches the position illustrated in Fig. 2, it is engaged bythe iixed pawl 26 and is thus locked against the tension of the spring 9 to hold the cut-oit gas-cock open; but the actuating-spring 29, operating upon the spindle 31 of the pinion 16 and ratchet-wheel 19, communicates motion through the pawl 1S to the gear 1 3 and also through the pinion 16 to the disk 7, whereby a slow return movement of the disk 7, controlled by the governor or regulating device 10, commences and continues until said disk reaches its normal position. (Shown in Fig. 4.) Just as this normal position of the rotary disk is reached, however, a trip thereon, consisting ofthe abrupt extremity 32 of the slot 28, engages a rounded or cam face 33 on the fixed pawl 26, and by withdrawing said pawl from the path otthe auxiliary locking-arm 20 releases the latter and allowsit to return to the position illustrated in Fig. 4, with the cut-off gas-cock closed, this operation of the arm 2O beingcaused by the return-spring 9, which also causes the arm to pass over the pawl 21 to assume a position in rear thereof. It is necessary, however, in order to complete the apparatus embodying m yinven tion to provide means whereby the cut-oft' gas-cock may be held open during the burning of the gas at the burner-tip, and hence I employ a lockingrod 34, mount-ed in suitable guides 35 on a standard or support 36 and adapted to be arranged terminally in the path of a main or permanent locking-arm 37, also 'fixed to the spindle 38 of the cut-oft gas-cock, as shown clearly in Figs. 3 and S, said main lockingarm being extended in a direction parallel with the auxiliary locking-arm 20. In connection with this locking-rod or plunger is arranged a thermostat 39, consisting ot a coilformed ot' metals of different or unequal expansions (shown at 39a and 39h) permanently secured at one end to the support 36 and connected at the other end with the locking-rod or plunger 34, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and S. This thermostat, however, instead of being exposed directly to the heat of the flame, is provided with a conducting wire or rod 40, extending in an approximately horizontal direction over the burner-tip. Obviously as the heat is conducted by the pin or rod 40 to the thermostat (to which it is connected at an intermediate point of the latter) the unequal l expansions of the layers or elements cause the coil to contract and extend downwardly at its free end, and hence depress the locking-rod to arrange its free end in the path of the main locking arm 37 ot' the apparatus. Hence when it is desired to ignite the gas for illuminating or other purposes the cut-oftl gas-cock 6 is opened, as hereinbefore described, to set the temporary locking device, and while this portion of the mechanism by which the position of the movable disk 7 is controlled is running down the flame at the burner-tip is heating the thermostat through the conductivity of the pin or rod 40, and before the movable dial has reached its normal position,and therefore before the fixed locking-pawl 26 has been IOO cancer tripped to disengage the auxiliary lockingarm 20, the locking rod or pin 34 has been extended and terminally arranged in the path of the main lockingearm 37. At the end of the return movement ofthe disk 7 said fixed locking-pawl 2G is disengaged from the auxiliary locking-arm 20,and hence the latter is free to return to its normal position; but so long as the expansion of the thermostat continues the cut-off cock will remain in its open position, whereas when the light is extinguished, as by blowing out the same or closing the cock 2, the elements of the thermostat will contract, thus expanding the coil, releasing the main locking-arm, and allowing the parts to return to their normal position to check the fio'w of gas.

Any suitable form of stop may be relied upon to limit the movement of the plug or spindle 38 to a rotary movement through an angle of ninety degrees, such as the ordinary form of stop-shoulders 38a found upon the plugs of the ordinary gas stop-cocks, said stop-shoulders being indicated in Fig. 8.

The mechanism as thus far described provides only for holding the cut-off gas-cock in its fully-open position and embodies no means for regulating the amount of flow of the gas, and hence for regulating the candle-power of the light produced, andtherefore I have devised means in connection with the regulating gas-cock 5 whereby after the mechanism is set to hold the cut-off gas-cock in its open position the regulating gas-cock may be adjusted to regulate the flow of the gas. Said means include an arm 4l, fixed-to the spindle of the cut-off gas-cock and connected by means of a link 42 with an arm 43,which is fixed to the spindle of the regulating gas.

cock 5, the spindle of the latter being extended and provided with the usual finger-hold or handle 44, similar to that employed in connection with the. ordinary cut-off at 2. The arm of t-he regulating gas-cock has a loose or sliding connection with the link 42, as by the engagement of a pin 45 on the former engaging a slot 46 in the latter. Hence to turn on the gas it is necessary to operate the spindle ofthe controlling gas-cock' 5, and this through the arm 43, link 42, and arm 4l operates the cut-off gas-cock to .arrange said parts, respectively,in the positions illustrated in full lines in Fig. l. After the arm 4l has reached a position by which the cut-off gascock is fully opened, and hence has arranged the auxiliary locking-arm 2O in the position shown in Fig. 2, the regulating gas cock may be turned back to cause the arm 43 to swing in therdirection indicated by the adjacent arrow in Fig. l until the desired amount of gas escapes at the burner-tip. lf desired, the gas may be entirely cut off by turning the regulating gas-cock to swing the arm 43 to the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. l, thus disposing the link 42 as shown in dotted lines in said figure. This position of the parts, however, will not interfere with the subsequent operation of the cut-off mechanism when the contraction of the elements of the thermostat as 'it cools has continued sufficiently to disengage the locking-rod 34 from the main locking-arm 37. In other words, if the gas be turned off by means of the regulating-cock, thereby extinguishing the flame at the burner-tip, the withdrawal of the locking-rod 34 from engagement with the main locking-arm 37 will proceed as though the flame had been blown out or otherwise improperly extinguished, and hence the parts of the mechanism will return to their normal positions, as hereinbefore described. Therefore if the flame at the burner-tip be extinguished while the flow of gas is proceeding the uncoiling of the thermostat will allow the closing of the cut-off gas-cock 6 within a limit of time depending on the respective conductivities of the rod or wire 40 and the thermostat-layers. If the gas be turned on without the ignitior thereof at the burner-tip, the cutoff gas-cock will be closed within a length of time controlled by the regulating mechanism including the fan lO or as soon as the regulating mechanism has turned the movable disk 7 sufficiently to cause the trip 32 thereof to engage the pawl 26 and release it from the auxiliary locking-arm, and if the gas-cock be only partly opened or be moved through a distance insufficient to cause the engagement of the auxiliary locking-arm 2O with the fixed pawl 26 the parts will be immediately returned to their normal or closed positions by the operation of the return-spring 9. 4 The regulating mechanism for closing the gascock when not held open bythe expansion of the thermostat is preferably adjusted to run for a length of time which isonly sufficient to insure the proper expansion of the thermostat in order to relieve the operator of the necessity of holding the gas-cock open during the heating of the thermostat, this length of time varying from twenty seconds to a minute in order that the parts may not be returned to their normal positions prematurely.

lt will be obvious that this length of time is insufficient to allow the escape of a quantity of gas adequate to dangerously adect the atmosphere of an apartment.

4The gooseneck or looped pipe 3 serves as a support for the casing 30 and the operating mechanism contained therein, as well as the thermostat and its attachments, and as this gooseneck or looped pipe is adapted to be applied to the arm or pipe of a gas-jet of any ordinary construction in place of the burner usuallymounted thereon, said burner being transferred to the end of the gooseneck, it will be understood that the attachment is applicable to any of the ordinary forms of gasfixtures and also that the gooseneck orlooped pipe may be extended in any desired direction from the jet-pipe to suit the convenience of the user or the conditions under which the apparatus is employed.`

Various changes in the'form, proportion,

and the minor details of construction may be IOO IIO

resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages ot' this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is;

1. The combination with a spring-closed gas cock, and thermostatically controlled locking devices for holdin g the gas-cock open, of temporary locking devices for holding the gas-cock in opposition to its closing-spring, and speed-regulated trip mechanism for releasing the gas-cock from the temporary locking devices, substantially as specified.

2. The combination with a spring-closedA gas cock, and thermostatically controlled locking devices for holding the gas-cock open, of temporary locking devices, including a iired catch for engaging an arm on the gascock, and speed-regulated trip mechanism for releasing said arm from the cat-ch, substantially as specified.

3. The combination with a spring-closed gas cock, and thermostatically controlled locking devices for holding the gas-cock open, of temporary locking devices including a iixed catch for engaging an arm on the gascock, and speed -regulated trip mechanism having a rotary member provided with a trip for disengaging the catclrfrom said arm, substantially as specified.

4. The combination with a spring-closed gas cock, and thermostatically controlled locking devices for holding the gas-cock open, of temporary locking devices having a fixed locking-pawl for engaging an arm on the gascock and provided with a cam-face, and speedregulated trip mechanism having a rotary disk slotted to receive said pawl and adapted to engage the cam-face thereof to disengage the pawl from the arm of the gas-cock, substantially as specified.

5. The combination with a spring-closed gas cock, and thermostatically controlled locking devices for holding the gas-cock open, of temporary locking devices for the gas-cock, and speed-regulated trip mechanism having a rotary member provided with a trip for releasing the gas-cock from the temporary locking devices, and a rotary fan-governor having adjustable blades, substantially as speci- 6. The combination with a spring-closed gascock, and thermostaticallycontrolled locking devices for holding the gas-cock open, of temporary locking devices for the gas-cock, and speed-regulated trip mechanism including a rotary member having a trip for releasing the gas-cock from the temporary locking devices, and including a governor, a train of gearing between said lrotary member and the governor, an actuating-spring, and ratchet mechanism for allowing forward movement of the rotary member to wind the actuatingspring without imparting motion to the gearing, substantially as specified.

7. The combination with a spring-closed gas -cock, and thermostatically-controlled locking devices for holding the gas-cock open, of temporary locking devices for the gas-cock including a fixed locking-pawl and an arm on `the gas-cock for engaging said pawl, and

speed-regulated trip mechanism having a rotary disk provided with a trip to release said pawl from the arm of the gas-cock, and a clutch connection between the arm of the gascock and said rotary disk, substantially as specified.

S. The combination with a-spring closed gas cock, and thermostatically controlled locking devices for holding the gas-cock open, of temporary locking devices including aiixed pawl and an arm on the gas-cock for engagement by said pawl, and speed-regulated trip mechanism including a disk provided with a trip for disengaging the pawl from the arm,

and an actuating-spring adapted to be wound by the forward rotation of said disk, a second pawl on the rotary disk for engagement by the said arm on the gas-cock, and a trip `for disengaging said second pawl from the arm, substantially as specied.

9. The combination with a spring-closed gas cock, and thermostatically controlled locking devices for holding the gas-cock open, of temporary locking devices including parallel iiXed and movable disks, a pawl on the fixed disk extending through a slot in the movable disk and adapted to be engaged by a trip on the latter, and an arm on the gascock for engagement with-said pawl, an actuating-spring for imparting backward rotation to said movable disk and adapted to be wound by the forward rotation thereof, a pawl on the movable disk for engagement by said arm on the gas-cock, a trip for releasing the second-named pawl from the arm, and governing devices for controlling the speed of rotation of the movable disk, substantially as specified.

lO. The combination with a spring-closed cut-off gas-cock, and thermostatically-controlled locking devices for holding the cuto gas-cock open, of a regulating gas-cock, and connections between the regulating and cut-OEE gas-cocks for communicating opening motion from the former to the latter and closing motion from the latter to the former, substantially as specified.

1l. The combination with a spring-closed cut-oft' gas-cock, and thermostatically-controlled locking devices for holding the cut-oft gas-cock open, of a regulating gas-cock, arms carried respectively by the cut-'off and regulating gas-cocks, and a sliding connection between said arms whereby opening motion is communicated from the arm of the regulating gas-cock to the arm of the cut-off gascock, and closing motion from the arm of the cut-od gas-cock to the arm of the regulating gas-cock, substantially as specified.

12. The combination with a spring-closed cut-off gas-cock, and thermostatically-controlled locking devices for holding the cut-off gas-cock open, of a regulating gas-cock, arms IIO carried respectively by the cut-off and regulating gas-cocks, and a slotted link carried by one of said arms and having its slot engaged by a'pin on the other arm, substantially as specified.

13. The combination with a spring-closed cutoi gas-cock, thermostatically-controlled locking devices for holding the cut-off gascock open, a regulating gas-cock, and connections between the regulating and cut-off gascocks for communicating motion from one l end to the other, of temporary locking devices for the cut-olf gas-cock, and speedregulated trip mechanism for releasing the cut-off gas-cock from the temporary locking devices, substantially as specified.

14E. The combination with a spriug-closed gas-cock having a locking-arm, of a thermostat-coil arranged at a point remote from the burner-tip, a locking-rod connected with said coil for terminal arrangement in thepath of said arm, and a conducting pin or rod carried by the thermostat-coil and arranged above l the burner-tip for exposure to the flame ofthe gas-burner controlled by the gas-cock, substantially as specified. y

15. The combination with a springclosed gas-cock having an arm, of a thermostat-coil constructed of layers or elements of unequallyeXpansible material, and arranged out of the path of the heat from the burner controlled by said gas-cock, a conducting pin or rod of small diameter carried by the thermostat and exposed to the heat at the burner-tip, and locking devices controlled by the thermostat for engaging the arm of the gas-cock, substantially as specified.

16. An attachment for gas-fittings, having a gooseneck or looped gas-pipe having adjacent arms terminating respectively in a burner and a coupling for engagement with the burner-socket of a tittin g, cut-od and regengagement with the burner-socket of a titting, cut-off and regulating gas-cocks arranged respectively in the arms of the gooseneck or looped pipe, connections between said gas-cocks, for communicating opening motion from the regulating gas-cock to the cut-off gas-cock and closing motion from the cut-off gas-cock to the regulating gas-cook, and for allowing closing motion of the cut-oft gas-cock independently of the regulating gas-cock, and thermostatically-controlled locking devices carried by the gooseneck for holding the cutott' gas-cock open, substantially as specified.

18. The combination with a gas-pipe, of a cut-oit gas-cock and aregulating gascock controlling said gas-pipe, thermostaticallycontrolled locking devices for holding the cut-oft gas-cock open, and connections between the regulating and cut-oft gas-cocks for communicating opening motion from the regulating to the cut-oit gas-cock, for communicating closing motion from the cut-off to the regulating gas-cock, and for allowing independent closing movement of the regulating gas-cock, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aiiixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

VICTOR E. CAMPBELL.

Witnesses:

N. CAMPBELL, E. C. DoYLE. 

